PASSWORD - Arlene Francis & Merv Griffin (July 3, 1962)

Another of several episodes of nighttime Password featuring WML regulars that I'll be posting throughout the month. Many thanks to epaddon for providing his copy of this video.
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[@OperaJH]

Wow - I guess Merv Griffin was always annoying, now that I see him as a young guy.

[@4seeableTV]

Who knew then that Merv would go on to create the two most successful game shows, in terms of ratings/popularity, in modern times.

[@WhatsMyLine]

The round for the password "yesterday" had me screaming at the screen, some of the dumbest responses imaginable!

[@SuperWinterborn]

What's My Line? And the expressions on Allen Ludden's face showed *his* opinion about this. ;) Besides of course "Bennett" for "Surf", I was thinking of "Drum" or "Rhythm" for "Beat". At least "Drum" would have been obvious, or?

[@WhatsMyLine]

SuperWinterborn "Drum" would have been a good clue for "beat", I agree! "Rhythm" is a good clue, too, but "drum" had a good chance of winning with one clue. Not the best playing in this episode, all right. . . but it was an entertaining show otherwise. :)

[@tjbnyc76]

What's My Line? I'm surprised no one used the clue "tomorrow" with a vocal inflection implying the opposite! I liked the Lieutenant a lot -- he was one of the most entertaining contestants I've seen, and a pretty good game player, too.

[@WhatsMyLine]

Todd Brandt Except. . . they weren't using the vocal inflections this early in the run of Password, which made giving opposite clues risky. There was no way to signal looking you were for the opposite, which led to a lot of unnecessarily wasted turns. From what I've seen so far, the vocal inflections that became a standard part of playing Password didn't take hold until after the initial nighttime run was over.

[@patriciamurphy3404]

BEAUTIFUL ARLENE!!!!!!!!!!!

[@hizgrase]

Arlene is the bomb.

[@monkee5th]

It’s strange to see Arlene without her heart necklace.

[@JClark-34695]

Hmmm... at 17:16, you can clearly see it.

[@lynettepalecek3141]

@monkee5th. She was wearing it. She just pulled it out from her blouse later in the show.

[@binhkhoiluuuc1718]

Was that the Jeopardy! and Wheel of Fortune creator Merv Griffin we see?

[@georgemaster9271]

You betcha!

[@maryoliver3868]

I haven't laughed this hard in years. Hilarious.

[@zenaidalacuzong1918]

Arlene is bright/ happy person

[@moonlightray8493]

The "needle" and "haystack" back-to-back were brilliant, and Merv Griffin's increasingly assertive "HONK"s were hysterical! I clicked into this video because of Arlene, but everyone was so delightfully clever and perceptive - it was an excellent episode all around, really!

[@mrpuniverse2]

First thing I thought of for spree was spending,, but not sure if that saying was in vogue those days though

[@no_handle_required]

Man i love these shows. Well-dressed, polite, intelligent, respectful...everything that todays shows and society isn't.

[@lynettepalecek3141]

@@GBS1043 SPEAK FOR YOURSELF! Your description doesn't fit me at all!!

[@lynettepalecek3141]

@N English. If you think that today's society isn't well-dressed, polite, intelligent, and respectful, then you aren't looking in the right places. My church and all Independent Baptist churches do fit your description of the people back then.

[@GBS1043]

@@lynettepalecek3141 Why have a channel with no content, UNLESS YOU ARE A TROLL....And slob

[@paulmarsh8974]

Simple fun yet so entertaining.... Arlene was gorgeous, gracious and witty... Something you don't see these days..

[@carolenelms1811]

I have never seen a brooch worn so low and placed on the outter tip of the breast. Doesnt it belong higher up to the left? Strange to see. Of course this is years ago.

[@Schquirl]

I actually started watching this because I couldn’t believe she didn’t have her heart necklace on her!!!

[@lynettepalecek3141]

For "alley" I would have said "bowl" and then "lane."

[@TylerDeBoy]

Arlene is just something else

[@kathyodom5372]

According to the air date, I was 7 months, 1 week and 2 days old!

[@jacquelinebell6201]

I was 1 yr and 9 months. Be two in Oct. Hard to imagine that now.

[@MikkoHere]

Darren Stevens looked good in the uniform 😎

[@ronnelson6007]

To zero...I too thot that he was mr. Dick York of bewitched. Ron nelson

[@norelcopc2431]

Merv hosted his own talk show for 24 years.

[@Steve27775]

What was the reason for Arlene's big intake of breath when he mentioned WML in the introduction? Frustrated at being only known for WML when she'd done a lot of other things in her career? Knowing that it would define her forever in the minds of the American people?

[@essanniadahi8236]

Steve27775 I think she was just getting ready to introduce her partner

[@blackcallalily6540]

..the female contestant reminds me of Elisabeth Moss from Mad Men 🤓

[@TylerDeBoy]

Lt. Peter James likes to passenger his own car home

[@TylerDeBoy]

This music is so bad 😂😂

[@alskndlaskndal]

Merv Griffin was a famous singer? I never knew. I guess it goes to show that sometimes Plan B works out even better than the first try. Imagine, when data processing was an exotic career...

[@cresentltd]

Reluctant Dragon His biggest hit record was " I've Got a Lovely bunch of Coconuts."

[@tomservo56954]

+R.D. Dragon His best known song was "I've Got a Lovely Bunch of Coconuts"

[@yamimotonokamina4759]

Responses like "beginning" to Arlene's "before," when all they've talked about are days, drive me crazy. The lieutenant was great on giving clues but not so hot on receiving them. Who can say, however, what you would say when under the gun as they are.

[@hizgrase]

“Laundry”

[@Traderjoe]

Imagine how many ladies hearts were broken when they found out that Merv played on the other team?

[@grit5124]

Thanks

[@agirlwholovesjesus]

Wonder why Arlene's not wearing her heart necklace?

[@yamimotonokamina4759]

I read once that someone snatched it off her on the street. She begged them to give it back, because it was of more sentimental than material value. I always wondered if she got it back. I doubt it.

[@avonlave]

that occurred well after this episode was filmed

[@kirstenwatkins8998]

first of all wow that's awful >:( and second occasionally she didn't wear it this was probly just one of those times :)

[@ciarabuck1375]

i dont think she got it back, but i believe she got another one that was similar

[@nelsonricardo3729]

She is, though. Look closer...

[@paddle_shift]

Merv didn't like the peck on the cheek, but he was impressed by that lieutenant!

[@catelynstark5689]

First win and Arlene grabs his face LOL

[@franklesser5655]

I'm guessing Arlene is wearing dress from Bonwit Teller.

[@elleryeggen9678]

"What does your husband do"? The era I was raised, soooo glad people have evolved

[@robbernath]

Good episode to watch on Veterans Day.

[@nextbarker2702]

20 mos after this show Merv struck it big with a game show still going strong today with Alex Trebek.

[@canuckster24]

Ok what does sheep have to do with fold? Is that something I'm too young to understand?

[@keetrandling4530]

A "sheepfold" is the enclosure into which one gathers sheep for protection. Also, "fold" can be used as an alternate to "flock".

[@mynamedoesntmatter8652]

@@keetrandling4530 A lost sheep is returned to the fold.

[@rr7firefly]

The lightning rounds are horrible. People get really nervous and then they can't think when they freak out.

[@rr7firefly]

@@starlight0002 No idea. I think part of the problem was that the contestants didn't have a firm grasp on the game rules. Instead of throwing out an incorrect word so that the clue giver could move on to another clue, they'd sit in their chair going, "ugh, ugh, ugh..." frown, eye roll. In the meantime Allen Ludden is yelling "Say anything!"

[@jacquelinebell6201]

Hilarious. Laughing at Merv's honk! Lol.

[@Ms.HistoryBuff433]

“Drinkie-Poo

[@robiemacpherson8310]

A

[@hizgrase]

I was 4 months old at this time But growing up I loved this show

[@hizgrase]

Those were hard words!!!

[@ciarabuck1375]

i love Arlene but on a lot of the Password episodes she did, she always seemed really uncomfortable .. and i could never figure out why.

[@TheGadgetPanda]

I thought the clues for "spree" were very odd. I know the word is commonly hyphenated with drinking, but even so. Has the meaning of that word changed dramatically over the past fifty years?

[@tjbnyc76]

***** "Bender" would have been a good clue, if they'd stuck with the drinking theme.

[@4seeableTV]

+TheGadgetPanda I noticed that too. My clue would've been 'shopping'. Sadly, these days, an appropriate clue now would be 'shooting'.

[@Ms.HistoryBuff433]

I said ‘shopping’

[@JudithSweeney-p1o]

"Binge" for spree

[@lray1948]

Back then it seems cntestants and panelists were screened better to ensure they had the quickness and wit to handle the game. Not today!

[@passamaquoddy8311]

Do not understand this game.